Friday Fish Frame: Meet Thom Glace, watercolor artist extraordinaire

Biographic Information:

Born: May 9th, 1951, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
College: University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. BA in Journalism 1974
Married to Mary Glace since 1983
Major Artistic Influences:
Archibald Thorburn- Scottish Watercolorist of the early 1900’s, Phil Bean –Contemporary Landscape Artist from New Hampshire, Gerges Seurat- French Post-Impressionist (Pointillism) 1859-1891.

[dropcap]W[/dropcap]hile Thom Glace is a native of Central Pennsylvania, he took a long path finding his way back to the Harrisburg area. He and his wife lived in various locations, including North Carolina, New Hampshire, St. Croix USVI and The Netherlands. After college, he worked in a publishing firm, a newspaper and two advertising firms, including his own in Greensboro, North Carolina. While managing a firm in the Virgin Islands, he also taught college at the University of the Virgin Islands and wrote on a couple of Television shows in the Caribbean region. He was also employed by a major electronics components company in marketing and sales – with assignments in The Netherlands, and saw over 40 countries while in International marketing for them.

Course change:

Seven years ago, Thom had a Catastrophic Heart Attack, and was forced to retire on disability. He took up watercolors, to have a little hobby. Since then, his art has taken off. Specializing in Watercolor Studies of fish and dragonflies, he is now in galleries and shops in Montana, New Hampshire, Gettysburg, Boiling Springs, New Cumberland, Lancaster, Coburn and Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. He is expanding to galleries in North Carolina, Texas and Delaware in the coming months. He has participated in exhibits from NYC, West Yellowstone, Montana, Lady Bird Johnson Park, outside of Stephenville, Texas, plus many exhibitions in Pennsylvania, Maryland and Virginia.

Besides the Center Stage program for children with Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, Thom is on the Board of Directors with the Center for Independent Living – working to set up an art program with the disabled. He is also involved with Project Healing Waters- a Non-profit organization working with our disabled veterans to expand their enjoyment of life with a national fly fishing program.

Thom Glace –Watercolor Artist

When asked why I have specialized in transparent watercolor studies of fish and dragonfly species, my answer stars with my love of nature, especially water. That comes for a father who loved snorkeling and took our family to island vacations where I discovered the beauty of the underwater creatures. I was SCUBA diving before I was a teenager! Later my wife gave me an Orvis Fly Fishing lesson as a present- and my love of trout & salmon grew like Kudzu!

I always loved what I call the Biological Study Format- showing a species by itself in all its glory. After 30 or so fish studies, I decided to branch out to the insect world, where I wanted the challenge of the delicate features found in the insect world. My first attempts were of a dragonfly and a butterfly- I fell in love with the dragonfly. While I started with local species, I now paint what catches my fancy, everything from the Peacock Bass of the Amazon, the Marble Trout of Slovenia to the Masu (Cherry) Salmon of Japan.

Once in a while I will break away to paint an Assateague Island Wild Horse or two- or a Megalith in Ireland or Wales. And I am starting to branch out into song birds. But my love is watercolor studies of fish and dragonflies. I paint with transparent watercolor, almost 100% drybrush on Crescent Mat Board. While this method has absolutely no forgiveness- one mistake or blotch and I start over! I love the soft effect you get that give a wonderful balance between realism and that thing called the ‘painterly look or effect’. I have started using Gum Arabic on fins and wings to get a glossier feeling.

All of this in the last six years, to give me a reason to get out of bed. I took up watercolor painting after suffering from a catastrophic heart attack for a hobby. It has since taken off on a life of its own where I now work out of my studio and provide work to galleries throughout the country and commissions to customers around the world. I have created a wonderful network of contacts from all over the world that provide me with reference photos and material of species to paint. They are from Japan to Slovenia, Montana to New Hampshire to Oregon. Plus they give me the encouragement to continue. One special relationship is with two entomologists from Texas A & M who have provided me with reference photos of dragonfly species.

I was recently named the Festival Artist for the 2014 Virginia Fly Fishing Festival- the largest outdoor fly fishing festival in the country.

I was given a second chance at life seven years ago, and a wife who supports my love of watercolors while putting up with a crazy artist.

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